House Thoughts #2

Some things about our house that we could be improved... dare I say CONS. I'll try not to defend, rank, or judge any of the following issues in an attempt to just lay out some facts (no promises though).

1. No central air - the swamp cooler just doesn't cut it July and August. I'm not going to say that it's unbearable, but if it's 100 degrees outside, it's 80 degrees in the house. There are 3 air ducts where the cooler blows in rather than only one as in most houses with swamp coolers.
   
   • One of the main related issues here is that our house doesn't have air ducts so installing a traditional central air system isn't really possible. We did, however, recently talk to an HVAC company about an A/C system that doesn't require duct work.
     
2. No forced air furnace - our house has a boiler with baseboard radiators in the rooms (not the old fashioned cast iron radiators). This one will be tough to not defend because there are a number of benefits to this system. Maybe I'll just list a few to get the defending out of the way:
   
   • I've been told by a number of professionals that a boiler is actually the most efficient way to heat your house. A lot of high efficiency homes use a boiler with in-floor heating.
     
   • A boiler is a simple device that just heats water. A boiler can last a long time unlike an electric furnace (I will say that our furnace is 24 years old).
     
   • A forced air furnace creating and circulates a lot of dust.
     
   • A boiler produces an even heat that allows your house temperature to stay more even as opposed to heat from a furnace that comes on for a while and then turns off.
   Done defending, back to the facts. Because boilers aren't the norm, it's been difficult to find a good/knowledgeable company to service the boiler (luckily I've solved this issue by finding Tingey Plumbing).
   
3. No real yard and the one we do have isn't fenced. This wasn't ever an issue/concern, and was actually rather nice, until we had kids. The need for a place for the boys to run around, be secured, and leave all their stuff laying around is definitely a real need for us now.
4. 2200 sq. ft. seems a lot smaller these days. Again, not an issue until the boys showed up and probably wouldn't be an issue if our house was laid out differently. Our house is very open. Our main floor is essentially one space so without any doors. As such, the entire main floor has turned into a giant kid room with toys everywhere.

More to follow

House Thoughts #1

Let's start with some of the PROS of our current house (in no particular order).

1. My house is close to where I work. According to Google, 3.9 miles (12 min). I hate to say this is definitely one of my major issues with moving, but it clearly is. 3.9 miles is really nice and allows me a lot of flexibility. Combine that with the flexibility that my work allows as far as working hours, time in the office vs. working from home, etc, this is a major pro.
2. In roughly 7 years (assuming no major changes in our life), our house will be paid for... as in no mortgage payment. I know very few people my age who can say that... not including anyone whose parents paid for their house. Not having a mortgage payment would clearly give Jo and I quite a bit of flexibility as to our options later in life.
3. I like living across the street from my uncle and grandmother and the relationships that proximity has fostered. Clearly, having family close by can be both a positive and a negative, but in this case, it's certainly been a positive. There have been many impromptu get-togethers over the years that we would have missed out on if we/they weren't so close.
   

House Thoughts Preview

Boy have I been crappy at posting lately :-(

I have a theory though that makes my neglect ok (or at least justifiable in my mind). My theory is that the more I'm blogging, the more I have to complain about. Therefore, the less I'm blogging, the more content I am. So there :-P

I do have a topic that's been on my mind quite a bit lately, and I think I've reach a point where I have to write down some thoughts. My intention is that there will be a series of posts about this topic. The topic on my mind is "Should we move?" as in change houses.

We've been in our house now for 8 1/2 years and we've enjoyed it quite a bit. At the same, now that our oldest son has started running around more and our newest son arriving in July, we're starting to see greener grass on the horizon. Yes, the grass will always be greener, but right now, ours is in desperate need of some watering. My idea behind this series of posts is to discuss some of pros and cons of staying versus leaving. At this point, no decision has been made and there are definitely strong forces competing currently. Hopefully, this exercise will help us be more subjective and facilitate us making the best decision for our family.

Quote of the Day

Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind.
- Dr. Seuss

NBA Players and their priorities

Since today is July 1st (the start of the most important NBA free agency season ever with the likes of Lebron, D.Wade, C.Bosh, Amare, Dirk, etc), I thought it timely to make this comment. All these guys talk about wanting to win championships and that being their #1 priority. If that were really the case, these guys would sign for the league minimum and recruit other star players to play with them. The amount of money they make in endorsement deals far surpasses the money they get from the NBA, but as we'll see, it's not about winning. It's about feeding their egos and padding their wallets. It's no wonder I can't get too excited or too committed to the NBA and its players.

An idea whose time has come

Thought I'd pass this along

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For too long we have been too complacent about the workings of Congress. Many citizens had no idea that members of Congress could retire with the same pay after only one term, that they didn't pay into Social Security, that they specifically exempted themselves from many of the laws they have passed (such as being exempt from any fear of prosecution for sexual harassment) while ordinary citizens must live under those laws. The latest is to exempt themselves from the Healthcare Reform that is being considered... in all of its forms. Somehow, that doesn't seem logical. We do not have elite that are above the law. I truly don't care if they are Democrat, Republican, Independent or whatever. The self-serving must stop. This is a good way to do that. It is an idea whose time has come.

Proposed 28th Amendment to the United States Constitution

Congress shall make no law that applies to the citizens of the United States that does not apply equally to the Senators and/or Representatives; and, Congress shall make no law that applies to the Senators and/or Representatives that does not apply equally to the citizens of the United States.

Earmark Reform

Reform we can believe in

http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2010/mar/12/jim-demint/sen-jim-demint-says-obeys-partial-earmark-ban-woul/

This says when this issue was brought up during the last campaign, the vote was 71-29. I'd say the odds aren't too good of getting some real change on this issue.